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Monday, October 18, 2010

These weeks challenge for Making Your Home a Haven is to clean up your clutter! It is actually two-fold. 1) Clean up the Cutter in your home. This is a project that I started in January. I am not a pack rat nor do I consider myself a clutterbug but I found our home was being taken over by stuff. Something, many things, we didn't notice or use. So I, as I've talked about in other posts, began going room by room, closet by closet, shelf by shelf - asking myself a) Do I love it b) Do I need it and c) Do I use it. I have cleaned out tons and tons of stuff. It not only cleaned out my house and helped me earn some money through a garage sale; it also taught me something about spending. Be careful what you spend your money on because it will end up given away or sold some day. It makes me stop and think before I pull out the money - before I buy something, I ask myself similar questions such as a) Where will I put it and what will it replace? b) Do I already have something like this? and so on. Trust me, I still buy things - I just try to be a little more cautious. Even with my latest crafting trend - I surprise myself sometimes by finding things to use up at home instead of buying something else. Even though I have a good handle on clutter, in a small home, I find that I always have to be cleaning up those "hotspots" where stuff gets set down, like the dining room table!!

So the actual challenge is to list a few spots in your home that make you visually stressed because of the clutter; now figure out how to organize it or clean it.

2) Clean out the clutter in your spiritual life. This fall I joined an accountability group with 5 other woman across the country called Good Morning Girls (You can find more info here) We "talk" once a day via our own little private blog and talk about what we are learning in our quiet time as well as prayer requests and just what's going on. It's been a great thing. For the first time in a long time, having a quiet time seems "normal" to me. The challenge today is to rid yourself of spiritual clutter. Take time to repent daily for your sins. As I build my prayer time, this is something that I am also doing. I have to start with me first and let God do the rest!

Let's see . . .I have a few to chose from so I'm trying to pick my favorite and I can still only narrow it down to two!!

First, Gatlinburg Tennessee. We LOVE going to "our" cabin on the mountain and just getting away.

The view off the deck of "our" cabin - we've stayed here twice and just love it.

Just out for a drive in the mountains!

A Drive in the Mountains

Two, Las Vegas!!! We love just about everything about Vegas - the sights, sounds, good food, - everything!

Our hotel the last time we visited and we always rent a convertible to enjoy the clear blue sky and wonderful views!

We also head to the border - the Hoover Dam! It is pretty amazing to see!

The Wynn - one of the incredible Hotels!

And another :-) (Look at that sky and the palm trees!)

We've been to a few other places like Vermont, the Bahamas, Canada, Brazil. Plus we like to take weekends away when we can (which are few and far between now with kids!) And yes, we have our list of places we'd still like to go!!

I look at so many great blogs and great ideas I thought I would get on the bandwagon of sharing those ideas once a week - you know, those ideas that are "Too Cute Not to "TOOT" (their horn about!) I'm thinking I might try to do this on Mondays but we all know how many times my "Worship Wednesday" gets posted on Thursday!!

So, these ideas really caught my attention this week. Some I want to make and some, I just think are too cute!

From Crafts and Deals, this really great Halloween Sewing idea. You can even download the pattern.

And I was just thinking that I need to make a "Library" bag to carry our books in and this Placemat Tote seems to fit the bill! (This would also make a great craft bag - I have a "current projects" bin but need to store each craft individually . . .)

You can get the full tutorial here. What a great way to decorate your normal family pictures! Do these on cardstock and use sticky tack to adhere them to the glass frames. After the holiday, just pull them off, clean the glass and the "real" family pictures are back!

One more fall post for this "Toot" - this is an awesome idea to do with your kids or your students!

And last but not least -- I love all the fall projects but I've been thinking that I really need some Christmas ideas so I can get them done BEFORE the holidays and low and behold, I happened upon this post today! I love the ideas The Speckled Dog gives for some easy Christmas Decorations.

You can get the full instructions to make the wreath, cones, and "snowballs" here

I hope you have enjoyed this first "episode of "Too Cute not to 'TOOT'"!!

Family

My Family

My husband Darryl and I have been married since August 2001. We met on-line through a site called Christian Matchmaker.com on Oct. 31, 2000, met in person on December 16, 2000, were engaged on March 18, 2001 and Married August 4, 2001. When you are "old" you know what you are looking for!! We were married for 7 years before being blessed with baby #1, Josh in October 2009 and than baby #2, Nate, who in December 2010. Our family is currently rounded out by our sweet and crazy cat Harley! That's us :-)